The 50 Shades books got people talking. Not since the first Harry Potter had there been such global discourse among writers and readers. And people who were neither.
Erotic romance had already been on a steady upward popularity trajectory before Christian Grey burst on to the scene. With the arrival of digital books women (and yes I'll generalize about the readership) could read saucy, spicy or downright erotic stories on the privacy of their e-reader or Ipads. They could indulge their totally normal interest and fascination with sex in relationships without displaying the distinctive covers that would give away the content. They could avoid the judgement that had been liberally poured on women wanting to firstly read romance, and secondly romance that had some, or a lot, of sex.For a lot of people, getting into 50 Shades was the first time they'd read a book in a long time. Whether the book that did that was good, bad or just ordinary, if it got people back into reading then EL James' influence is a hugely positive thing.
50 Shades started its life as a digital book with a 'print on demand' option. It's hard to determine why or what pushed 50 Shades into the stratosphere of book sales and subsequently being picked up by a big name publisher, but EL James certainly pushed the door of acceptance of erotic romance (and BDSM romance in particular) open a lot further than it had ever been.
To quote Maxim Jakubowski (editor of the Mammoth Book of Erotic Romance and Domination) : 'It was the year it (erotic romance) moved from a relatively confidential corner of the bookstores and shelves to a wider and surprising appreciation and acceptance by the reading public'.
Whether people had read it or not, it was talked about. BDSM was talked about. A topic that everyone knew existed, and had previously been something that was maybe giggled about or relegated as just a weird kink, was now openly discussed. And discussion about controversial topics is a good thing. Those who actually live the lifestyle were commenting on the authenticity of the way it was being depicted and with the discussion, showing that it wasn't just something written about in books. It was a lifestyle choice. Anyone who might have harbored BDSM fantasies could now see everyday people talking about it and living it and have access to legitimate information.
Naturally with such a controversial topic there was also a negative point of view, one that the books did nothing but romanticise violence against women, that they send the wrong message. Particularly now, in light of the subsequent 'me too' movement. There was also the point of view from many in the writing community that the books were poorly written.
And then there are the millions who loved the books and subsequent movies. EL James wrote about love within a specific lifestyle choice. Whether she wrote it well, or wrote it accurately has been debated but that an author can create such wide and varied opinions is huge. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name.
No matter which side of the fence you sit on, as a writer, reader or just an observer, with regards to her work, Ms James has certainly put her mark on the world, and as a writer of erotic romance I'm happy that her books have introduced more readers to the genre.
Find out what Andra's up to on her website.
2 comments:
Well thought out and written post, Andra. And although I have not read the 50 Shades books or seen the movies, I totally agree that EL James has influenced readers and writers of erotic romance as well as readers and writers in general.
Thank you! A lot of writers criticize EL James for her supposedly badly written book, but this is not what's important. What most don't want to acknowledge is that she has brought an entire niche out of its shadows. A few years ago people would have treated me as an outlaw, had I told them that I'm a writer on noveltrove.com. Nowadays almost everyone think it's great.
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